But wait — it gets better! North Carolina didn’t just stop at banning same-sex marriages. Read the text of Senate Bill 514, also know as Amendment 1:

“Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.”

All sarcasm aside, it’s an extremely sad night for all families in North Carolina. It’s not just families headed by or including lesbian, gay or bisexual members who will be hurt. A real blow has been dealt to their legal options for protection and support, it’s true. But all North Carolinians — in living with a constitution which legalizes discrimination, and which creates two sets of rights for two sets of citizens — are hurt in the cycle of a false notion of superiority and inferiority. Pro-equality Fortune 500 companies will be less likely to settle there, hurting the economic options for totally gay and totally straight North Carolinians alike. And they’ll be hurt for at least a generation, if not generations, with this constitutional amendment.

North Carolina joins a majority of all states, and every single southern state, in adopting such a ban, though its is among the most draconian.

And while we realize the politics of New York State don’t extrapolate across the nation, the fact that Governor Andrew Cuomo is polling at 73% also makes Obama’s apparent fears that supporting same-sex marriage will hurt him look all the more ridiculous.